Gifts: Sequined Peacock Decoration

For 25 years St Nicolas has worked with a small charity in Thailand that helps disadvantaged rural women find work in their community. Today, some 200 skilled women work at home sewing decorations, and many of them have been doing so for more than 10 years.

The Indian decorations are made using the traditional method of zardozi embroidery. Zari (meaning gold) embroidery originated in Persia and reached India in the 12th century. It is a highly skilled embroidery technique that traditionally used gold wires and jewels to embellish courtly robes. Zardozi work is a rare and respected craft, the skills of which are handed down from generation to generation.